A King's Legacy Ch. 42

A King's Legacy

Chapter 42

Acquired Tastes

Flose was deep in thought, idly staring at the small campfire as Mercy perched off a short distance in a nearby tree. The golden rays of twilight had slowly begun to fade into dusk, but the uncertainties of the coming dawn were chipping away at what little courage the human believed he had. On the same hand, all three of the beasts he had met so far had proven to be surprisingly kind. What was even more astonishing to the youth, however, was the demeanor of the bear. Sir Corper was a beast Flose had heard many cautionary tales about throughout his upbringing, but Flose was starting to wonder if he had remembered the name correctly after all.

Flose slyly turned his attention to the pair sparring together near the outskirts of their small camp. He took a moment to size up the bear while the smaller fox kept him busy.

Corper elected to ignore the stare. He well understood why the boy was so nervous. The beast mostly knew what to expect when they arrived, but even he had uncertainty as to what truly awaited the group. Corper did well hiding his worry, none of the younger lives ever noticed such uncertainty in the bear, but Flose was not nearly so skilled in the art of masking his thoughts. Oust hated seeing the little human frown like that.

Oust has been tasked with deep breathing meditation, to inhale as he counts to seven, and to exhale after. The bear had told him to simply concentrate on counting and that it would help focus his mind.

Oust had been instructed to meditate like that for at minimum one hour every night. Although the tiger had disliked such training at first, even he had to admit it seemed to be helping to some degree. His hour had ended over ten minutes ago, but upon opening his eyes in such a state of clarity, he found the frail little human the first thing they settled on. Oust just wanted to make Flose more at ease in their company, but it seemed the harder he tried to connect with him, the more Flose would shy away warily.

The tiger closed his eyes before he inhaled deeply. He exhaled slowly after, venting his frustrations over his failures with the action. Oust still didn't grasp how much he had grown to even reach that point. Oust still didn't realize that all he had to do was just stop trying so hard to force things and breathe. The beast opened his eyes once more, and stood, his attention needed elsewhere... He really had to take a leak.

Flose cautiously watched the burly cat out of the corner of his eye from the moment Oust first moved. He averted his gaze as he realized what the beast needed to handle. His sight fell back to the smaller crackling fire before him, finding it easy to let his hectic thoughts drift when watching the embers dance. Fires not solely for cooking were something the youth didn't often get to enjoy.

His mind was darting all around his predicament when a strange presence unexpectedly caught his attention. The emotions of the presence were frantic, but transparent. Something nearby was terribly, terribly afraid.

Oust was returning to the camp when he suddenly heard the most peculiar sound just a way from the fire. It almost sounded like someone was shushing him. The beast looked around in the dimming light, and finally located the source. Oust took a quick leap back in alarm, staring down at a serpent in his path. Snakes were dangerous, something Oust had been taught just the same as most beastmen. The tiger bared his claws, preparing to fend off the strike he assumed was coming his way. What he was met with instead was a sharp and desperate plea from the one person in the group that never seemed to have much to say to the beast.

"Wait!" Flose was already running over, hoping he would reach the pair before they struck at one another. He slowed to a halt as he made it closer to the intimidating soldier, hastily adding, "Don't hurt it! It's only afraid!"

Oust kept a wary eye on the feral, and spoke calmly to the human, trying to ease some of the worry Flose so clearly held. "Alright. I won't harm it, but they are dangerous. You need to back away."

"Well, yeah, snakes can be dangerous, but it doesn't mean they are going to try and hurt you. She was just attracted to the warmth of our fire is all." Flose paused for a moment and turned to stare towards the larger coral snake coiled defensively within its own folds. The youth started trying to strengthen his connection, doing his best to get his intentions across to the frightened creature.

Oust watched in silence as the human's demeanor changed, his focus, intrigue, and excitement far more evident than any traces of prior wariness in that moment. The tiger noticed the human's eyes soften a little and witnessed the feral barely peek out from its hiding place after.

"There we go..." Flose was cooing so gently to the reptile. The snake was slowly lowering its guard. Flose spent a little more time soothing its worry as Oust exhaled in relief, electing to observe the pair in silent marvel. The human locked eyes with the feral for a while longer before suggesting something to the smaller creature. "Would you like to move closer to the heat? You can rest on my arm if you'd like, so you can stay warm that way as well?"

Oust was surprised by the words, never expecting that the meek little human would extend such an invitation to something so deadly. The serpent paused for a while, seemingly hesitant in its decision at first glance, but apparently, it decided that Flose was indeed a friend. The feral slowly slithered forward, gracefully unraveling from its protective coil as the friendly human reached his right arm to the ground.

The serpent slowly started stretching towards the offered hand. Oust could only watch in fascination as it skillfully began slithering up Flose's arm. The way it spiraled its own body as it climbed up the appendage was something the tiger never had a chance to see before. It was unexpected, and Oust's curiosity was beginning to outweigh his hesitancy. He didn't waste much time following the pair over by the fire.

"See? I told you it was warmer over here." Flose was smiling at the snake fondly as he spoke. To Oust, the human appeared to be truly smitten with the creature. Flose was holding his right arm up, his elbow perched on his raised knee. Flose was being careful not to move too much, but still made sure the feral was feeling a comfortable amount of warmth in that position. The human kept idly speaking to the snake, apparently answering the serpent's questions he was being peppered with.

This went on for quite some time, but eventually, after his guest was more trusting of the human, Flose finally countered the feral with a question of his own. It was a simple request, yet one that Oust had no trouble detecting the hope behind. "While you rest here, would it be alright if I sketch you?" The serpent turned its head towards the youth some, and Flose quickly elaborated for the feral. "Oh! It means to make a copy of your likeness. It is a more human concept, so here, let me just show you what I mean."

Flose looked around for his satchel, but saw it was a short way out of his reach where he had left it in his rush to reach the feral. The human spoke apologetically to the serpent after realizing his mistake. "Ah, I have to move, but I'll try not to jar you too much-"

Oust was already standing to retrieve the bag for Flose. The human had mostly forgotten about the beast up to that point, all his focus and attention placed on the new acquaintance wrapped around his arm. Perhaps that was what the human needed to do most; to relax a little around the tiger, to not be so overtly wary of him.

Oust held the satchel out, presenting it to Flose with a trace of a smile hidden on his muzzle. Oust didn't want to scare him again by accident, more so since he wanted to watch how this all played out a little longer.

Flose looked up at the burly cat towering over him and felt a familiar twinge of panic begin to surface. The same as it usually did around the beast. The human shuddered ever so slightly, but powered through his fears, accepting the bag with gratitude. "...Thank you."

Oust nodded subtly, the grin on his muzzle becoming just a little more apparent. The silent approached seemed to be working in his mind, so the tiger pressed his luck a little further, and took a seat to the right of Flose. Oust was within arm's reach of the pair now, but Flose appeared alright with that for the time being.

Flose wasted no time at all moving his right arm to the bag before excitedly rummaging through it. He quickly located his sketchbook and opened it to a random page near the front. The first illustration was of a frilled lizard. Flose started explaining the process better to the reptile snugly wrapped around his arm as the tiger silently studied the human's drawing next to him.

Flose flipped through a little, showing a few other illustrations to the snake (as well as the peeking tiger) as he told his guest all about why he enjoyed sketching ferals. "I think there is a degree of beauty in every design, but my favorite parts are always the flaws in each. When something is always just a mark off from perfection, such imperfections are exactly what makes something uniquely art. I know it can be a strange concept to ferals like you, but it really is just admiring what you don't always notice at first. It's seeing the deepest parts of something and seeing that even those hidden bits veiling such pain and fear are beautifully inspirational in their own right."

Oust suddenly found it hard to breathe. Those words struck him harder than a blow from his father ever did. No, they resonated with the words of someone Oust cherished more than anyone. It was like hearing his mother speak to him again. Before the tiger ever realized it, he was reduced to little more than the tiny cub in his mother's garden with an all-new feral friend to be fascinated by.

Flose never had any inclination that what he said had resounded so clearly with the beast. He was far too busy repeating his request to the serpent. "So... I hope that explains it better. Is it alright if I sketch you as well?"

To Oust, the snake seemed to ponder the request again, but judging by the look of joy that overtook the human's face, he assumed Flose had received the answer he wanted, because the youth immediately got to work.

Flose started pulling what looked like small bits of stone from his bag, setting them out around himself. He propped his book awkwardly on his free leg, doing his best not to disturb his guest by moving his right arm too much. Flose only made it a few strokes into the sketch before his hand started to tremble, unable to really balance the book correctly in that position. A light wind blew, and the page half-flipped on Flose, ruining the addition to the book before he ever really had a chance to start.

"NOOO!" Flose quickly moved his drawing hand flatly over the book, more in reflex than anything else. All he managed to accomplish was further ruining the piece, and rattling his muse by jolting around so much. The youth's attention immediately snapped back to the serpent, and he somberly apologized to the feral as he cast his eyes low. "Sorry, I don't want to frighten you... Let's just forget about the sketch."

Flose was berating himself heavily over his failure, however, Oust wasn't going to allow such a small obstacle to ruin the opportunity. Before he even realized it, he was offering his assistance. "She can rest on my arm. That should free yours up to concentrate on the sketch, right?"

Flose's attention turned to the imposing tiger yet again, but this time, the beast's words had unquestionably caught him off guard. For the first time, Flose truly looked at Oust for a moment, seeing beyond his appearance. His deep, green eyes warily peeked into the red ones of the natural born predator, and Oust peered back, making note of how incredibly sad the human's gaze always seemed; how it always seemed to tremble in uncertainty, fear, or a mixture of both. Flose's demeanor reminded Oust of feral prey, and suddenly, it all became a little clearer for the tiger as he realized a new way his training could be put to practice.

The tiger smiled at his realization, and for once, Flose saw the gesture for what it was, not a snarl. The human was finally starting to accept that there was a large difference between ferals and the beastmen that held their likeness. Flose looked back at the snake coiled around him and passed the offer on to her.

The serpent peeked towards Oust and then turned back to Flose with a question. Oust watched curiously as the human looked back to the ground a moment after. The tiger feared the worst but was even more caught off guard by the answer Flose gave to the feral.

"Umm... Yeah..." Flose was unexpectedly flustered by the snake's question, but continued his answer all the same, "I am sure he is pretty warm..." The human awkwardly looked off in the distance as he finished his sentence, managing to mostly hide the blush overtaking his face, confused as to why he felt so embarrassed by those words in the first place.

It was probably a good thing Flose wouldn't look at the tiger, because Oust couldn't of hid that toothy smile of his if he'd wanted to. The beast also turned his gaze away for a moment, doing his best to stifle the expression and avoid scaring the human again. He brought a hand up to his maw, partially covering it in his attempt.

After both had taken a moment to get their reactions under control, Flose looked back to the snake on his arm, and seemingly settled the matter. "Alright, just let me tell him first."

Flose looked to Oust, a lingering trace of that smile still evident on the beast's maw. The youth spoke to the tiger in a quieter tone. "Would you hold your arm out?"

Oust did as instructed, presenting Flose his forearm; his larger hand pointing towards the night sky. Flose gently raised his right arm and brought his hand up to the beast's elbow. His reach lingered mid-air in hesitation, but Flose slowly extended his fingertips the last few inches, overcoming his uncertainty.

It was one of the most frail and delicate touches Oust had ever known. The human's hand slowly came to rest on his bicep, tenderly lying flat against the beast's more rugged body. Oust unexpectedly felt the most exhilarating chill run up his spine in immediate response. Flose had finally touched him, and the thrill it brought to the beast made his chest feel strangely tight. The human once again cast his eyes away, but Oust did not avert his gaze this time.

"Try not to move too much, and if you do, try to keep the movements smooth." Oust nodded in answer, and Flose added a little more, just to be certain the tiger understood the fragility of the situation. "She is trusting you, which isn't easy for ferals, so just try not to startle her too much. She is still a little afraid."

Oust answered soundly. "I'll keep her safe... What we fear most isn't always easy to face alone, but that's what strength is for; sharing with those that need it most, defending those without it, and protecting one another whenever the need arises." Oust trailed off as Flose simply stared at the sheer spontaneity of that statement. Oust rushed to justify his reasoning. "It was Aster, or Solis as you know him, that made me realize that truth."

Flose didn't have much of an answer for the beast there. He pondered the words a little longer but didn't comment on them any further. He spoke to the serpent after the pause in conversation instead. "Alright, go ahead."

The feral was colder than Oust had expected. He half anticipated a slimy feel to the reptile, but the scales were smooth, and they glided over his fur without trouble. He watched with bated breath as she began spiraling around his thicker forearm in graceful form. The tiger felt the human pull his hand away a moment after and Oust took the moment to bask in the excitement the strange little feral brought to him. Oust just really wanted to help Flose with his sketch when he had initially offered his aid, but the tiger was certainly starting to hold the serpent in a new and unexpected light.

The beast opened his hand as the snake reached his wrist, and she settled her head gently on his pink palm pad while snugging up her coils on his arm. Oust beamed at the cozy feral, delighted he could be such a comfort for it now. He turned his eyes back to Flose, but the young human had already snatched hold of his sketchbook, flipped to a fresh page, and eagerly jumped right in. Oust decided he should probably just continue with his more silent approach for a while. This was already more than enough progress to satisfy the beast.

Flose often tended to lose focus on everything else when he was sketching, a habit he had been berated over plenty in the past, but there was just some part of him that got so deeply immersed into capturing what detail he could. Tonight was proving to be no different for the youth.

Oust patiently watched him work away, simply enjoying that Flose seemed to be having a much better time in his company. Oust would sometimes peer back towards the tiny life in his hands, the one trusting him to keep it safe, but his gaze would always diverge back to the human before too long.

Flose was making wonderful progress, leaning into his connection with the serpent to capture as many details as he could. When he sketched a feral, he always tried his best to convey what they were feeling on his page, not merely how he saw them at first glance. Every page in that sketchbook of his was a personal and intimate experience of the young human, and this session was proving itself no lesser in any way.

Flose only had parchment and charcoal with him at the time, but he could always capture what he needed, and then fill in everything on a separate page with proper ink later. He started by forming her body, her spiraling form wrapping itself closely around that ivory pillar the beast called an arm. He traced out her segments, sectioning off each instance of black, red, and yellow scales that blended seamlessly into one another. He roughly outlined a few smaller scales for future reference, and moved beyond that for the time being, knowing he could go back to add them later.

The artist leaned further into his muse, carefully copying the curvature of the feral's head, paying special attention to her eyes, and nostrils. He felt more for her perspective in the moment and began filling in where it was needed. The strokes of his medium never slowed in the slightest, the same as those eyes that never could stop darting back and forth between the pages and the serpent. Flose was truly lost to everything else, his passion stealing him hopelessly away.

It was beautiful, the way all those colors blended. Flose adored the sharp contrast between the scales gleaming beneath the firelight. The way that pattern wove itself around the arm... it was mesmerizing. Bands of glimmering black, yellow, and red crossed so starkly against the ivory fur beneath it. The triple ebony stripes on the beast's forearm formed three striking contradictions of their own. The sleek musculature of the feral winding over the stony arm of the tiger... his arm was firm, but very warm. His touch was steady, far steadier than Flose's own. His fur was soft, and comforting, but most of all, Oust felt like security. It was as if Oust was the last thing the feral ever needed to worry about... The arms of the tiger felt comforting. Oust's unyielding touch made Flose feel so strangely safe.

With a gasp, Flose pulled himself back immediately. Such a thought had battered heavily against his own deep-seated prejudices, and the result had rattled the human to his very core. As his mind scrambled to reassure itself, he peered back towards the drawing, and felt his heart skip a beat.